Photo courtesy Eric Duncan
Vehicles lay on their side after being involved in an accident around 6 p.m. Monday on U.S. 34 and Weld County Road 17. No life-threatening injuries were reported but more than 15 cars were involved in the accident.

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Luck was on the side of those in a multi-car pileup Monday night on the western edge of Weld County.

U.S. 34 westbound was closed for more than three hours after the driver of a semitrailer looked down briefly, not realizing that traffic was stopped at Weld County Road 17, said Greeley Police Sgt. Susan West. A 17-car pileup ensued, with 14 vehicles, including the semitrailer, towed from the scene and one vehicle overturned, West said. Three additional cars were involved in the crash, but were drivable after the incident, she said.

Miraculously, just one person was transported and admitted to Medical Center of the Rockies with injuries reported as non-life threatening, and two people — a husband and a wife — were transported to the hospital and released, West said. Authorities said 18 other people were evaluated and treated at the scene, but refused transportation to the hospital.

West said it’s too soon to say how those involved in the crash weren’t more severely injured.

“There’s calculations of all sorts going on downstairs,” West said of continuing police investigations. “It could have been much worse.”

The driver of the tractor trailer, 28-year-old Daniel Stepp of Illinois, was booked into jail for careless driving involving injury and was required to post bond, West said.

Stepp is no longer listed as an inmate at the Weld County Jail.

Four ambulances — one each from Windsor, Milliken, Johnstown and University of Colorado Health, two fire engines, Greeley Rescue 2, one command car and multiple law enforcement officers responded to the scene.